I have no trusted Thurston, and I never will. I can never forgive him for the death of Natasha.

I think this is one of the worst books in the whole Battletech universe. The plot is slow moving, some of the questions that this book raised haven't been aswered in a satisfactory way YET, and for all saints sake, the "I am Jade Falcon" manouvre is one of the most stupid excuses to kill a character that I've ever read. Natasha Kerensky, the Black Widow, died because the author wanted to get rid of her and wasn't able to create a story worth of accomplishing so.

I red this book recently and I must admit it is better then most. This book goes into the story of Joanna the jade falcon. Without reading this book some of the other ones are a little more confusing but it is not a must read. All together though this book is well written and a good read.

Thurston Twigg-Smith has a family stake in getting his view of Hawaii's history out--his grandfather was Lorrin Thurston, one of the key people in the movement that toppled Hawaii's monarchy. Smith begins his book by acknowledging this relationship and personalizes it by telling a story about a little boy asking him, "Why did your granpa steal my land?" as his mother looked on and smirked. Thurston Twigg-Smith has a very different take on the annexation period than many other historians. He sees himself as a voice of reason calling against a rush of historical revisionists. Though I do not always agree with his take on historical events, I find him a readable and persuasive author. My problem with his work is that I sometimes find him defensive of the annexationists and too dismissive of charges made against them. Smith seems determined to describe the revolt against the monacrchy as a gentle process. He frequently refers to the overthrow of the monarchy as a "Bloodless Revolution." I doubt that Leialoha, the policeman shot at point-blank range by John Good, considered the revolution "bloodless." In Chapter 5 he defends revolution as follows: "Those who led the revolt were changing a form of government by a method with long historical and legal precedent." Legal and historical precedent? Was V. Lenin exercising a legal precedent when he toppled the Romanovs? Would he extend that same justification to Ho Chi Min and Fidel Castro?
A more prescient question would be, "Does Smith extend that same view to Robert Wilcox, the very colorful gentleman who led an unsuccessful counter revolt against the Lorrin Thurston and the Provisional Government he helped set up after displacing Hawaii's royalty?"
My overall impression of Hawaiian Sovereignty: Do the Facts Matter is that it is a well-written and well-researched book with a somewhat pre-determined agenda. That said, I still recommend Smith's book. It is worth noting that there are two sides to this historical debate. Agree or disagree with his interpretation, Smith has a legitimate point of view and he defends it eloquently.

This reveralation will not sit well to those who want to turn back time based on twisted facts. How refreashing to read history from the point of view of a non-revisionist. As a resident of the state we see the raceist retorict of the radicial supported by the very paper that was founded by Twigg-Smith founded. May be there is an agenda here? Wouldn't it be nice to say 'get over it and get a job' however, this would be difficult to the lagerst welfare state in the US. Again there is insight to the real position of the US goverment and motives of the overly revered Queen in the reveolution. What a insight to the real feeling of the citizens in the early 1900. All the facts make the moderen day wineing of the sovereignty movement foundless. "The race problem solvers do not want the patient to get well' B. T. Washington-1911

I understand there is a CD rom available which contains four volumes. Has anyone used this?

I wish I hadn't wasted seven years of my life reading this absurd book. Initially, it even prompted me to join the Trappist Order which resulted in serious psychological damage that I am STILL working through. I'll say this though; there should definitely be a screenplay because while the book does not effectively translate from the page I can see how Kurt Russel could bring to life so many of these saints to the big screen. I'd pay to see that flick, wouldn't you? Anyway, dont' read this book unless you have some sort of serious complex involving a deep desire for some self-flaggelation.

This book is well-written and provides interesting short biographies of some of the most famous saints. The book is arranged in a chronological manner, ordering the saints by their feast days.

This book is not a particularly in-depth looks at the saints, however for those with an interest in the important figures in the Catholic church, and the history of the church, this book provides many interesting tidbits.

nothing interest in this book.the author writes the book and he think that a 8years old kid is the reader.

Basing on the old printing of this book, it does contain lots of useful information, and are quick and to the point, so it's likely to bore you. There are not many pictures, but in most cases they are not needed .

It Was Coo

I had to chuckle as I browsed the book. In the area of the Pacific with which I am familiar, I found Mr. Thurston's writings were pure fantasy. Not to say he was devious or untruthful. He was just repeating the old myths that have been going around for years. I'm sure his personal experience with the islanders was pleasant. But having lived there, I can assure you the truth is a bit different.

The biggest myth the islanders propogate is their relationship with the Japanese during WWII. I had the pleasure of dining with the senior enlisted Japanese soldier who was stationed there during the war. He was on very friendly terms with one of the elected officials who had been his house boy. They spoke together in Japanese and reminisced all during the meal. At the end of hostilities, there was never any order to massacre the inslanders. Even if there were, the Japanese were near starvation and could never have executed such an order. I was told that in Japan there are veterans groups who visit these islands regularly, although I don't know that for a fact.

There is absolutely no industry whatsoever on these islands. The locals live off of what they can scavange from the jungle or catch from the ocean. I've seen families fight over who has rights to certain fruit and coconut trees. They are extremely friendly toward outsiders since to live permenently in the United States they need a sponsor. They also understand how paternity law suits work and the women are more than willing to claim their next born as yours.

It's very nice to read these stories about how quiet and peaceful these island settings can be. And how friendly and accomodating the inhabitants are. But these are just myths propogated to enhance tourism. I would encourage everyone interested to read the book and then visit just one island to compare. It will advance your understanding of these places immensely.

The author presents and enjoyable book about different islands from the standpoint that many of them have a personality of their own. I have often thought it would be nice to live on an island...that is a remote island. Maybe that's a bit of a pipedream...but this author sure got me thinking again how that might just be the thing to do to renew the spirit and rejuvenate the soul. This book is not for everyone...but it may be just right for readers with an inquisitive interest in an 'island attitude'.

I like to lie on the beach and disappear----this book took me to another time and place. I shall be reading it again lying on the sands of the Grand Cayman----I say, read it feel the sun on your pale skin....take the one you love.

Crusoe- the romance is in us all. Even if u lie in your own backyard this summer--read, feel Father sun on your pale flesh longing for freedom. Adventure is there, close your eyes.......

This author could bore for the USA. The content of this book could be condensed to less than a quarter of its volume. You get the feeling that he is writing it for himself rather than for the reader. I was just glad that I didn't have to listen to him speaking.

Do people keep asking you if you're read the Celestine Prophecy? Are you harbouring a niggling suspicion, or a even a growing conviction that there just might be more to life than you thought there was? Have you noticed a lot of funny coincidences recently? Congratulations! You're on your path. Despite the somewhat imposing title of this work, it's actually a very user-friendly guide to spiritual growth. This book contains a variety of practical suggestions designed to help you discover your innate skills and talents. When you figure out what they are, then you simply have to use them in order to fulfil your soul's purpose in your (current!) lifetime.

OK, the big question is why in the world was this episode of Battlestar Galactica chosen to be a novel? I just don't understand. It is the TV episode which was called "The Young Lords" and chronicles Starbuck's adventures on the planet Antila when he gets shot down by a Cylon raider during a patrol. Glen Larson and Robert Thurston try hard to make a good story out of this, but I'm afraid that the original material is just not there. It's OK, as a minimal action-adventure story, but it doesn't light the world on fire. Starbuck is rescued by a band of children who have been fighting the Cylon garrison on the backwater swamp planet Antila. The story centers on rescueing Megan, the mother of some of the children. It is pretty faithful to the TV episode except for three major items: 1) Cylons are really sentient beings who are dying off because of diseases; 2) Spectre, the Cylon base commander, is making his own robotic versions of the centurions and lying about it to the Cylon leaders; and 3) the children ride and communicate telepathically with unicorns!! These points were not in the original TV show. Of course, in the show, the Cylons were already robots! The other interesting thing about this book is that it is told partially in excerpts from Miri's book, a diary of one of the elder children (a beautiful girl who Starbuck eyes, of course). In the end, they save the captured prisoners of the Cylon garrison and Starbuck is rescued. For a fan of Battlestar, you should read it, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested in this story or TV episode, but I still can't figure out why they tried to make a novel out of this story. It is constantly rated as one of the worst episodes of the series. A much better choice could have been The Hand of God, which was the last episode. Some of the other episodes which were converted into novels are questionable too, but I will get to them when I finish reading those.

I've read books 1 through 9 in this series, and found this one of the deepest and most entertaining of them. It attempts to deal with Starbuck's weariness with war as well as the weariness of the population of the 12 colonies being in the depth of a thousand year war. The telepathic unicorns did not turn me off and I actually thought Starbuck's connection with one of them was carried off very well. Spectre was also a standout. This character was fleshed out more than he was in the tv show (and even in that episode, regardless of how well received it was, Spectre was one of the best guest characters to come along in BG).

The Larson/Thurston novels were by far the best. (The Larson/Goulart novels were terrible, the writing horrible.) And this is the best of the first four Larson/Thurston's. Thurston co-wrote some or all of the books between 11 and 14 also, but I haven't gotten to those yet. But this is definitely the best of the first four.

You are not buying this to sit up at night for a little bedtime reading. It is a college textbook about administration. However, the book is to the point and researched based about a broad spectrum of issues facing the principalship. It provides a background and starting point for discovery about issues ranging from finance, politics, public school law and the emergence of the leader's role. These are all topics students in ED ADM will deal with once they enter the world of adminstration.

So, it may not be the best story ever written, but it does carry on the Asimov Robots storyline. If you can quote the three laws of robotics, you gotta read this whole series. It will not knock your socks off or anything, but you will enjoy it.